Day 128 of 365

Sunny, dry and pleasant.

• Low: 59° F
• High: 78° F

Planted:

• black turtle beans, one bed

Harvested:

• strawberries
• lettuce

Transplanted:

• some of the 4 O'Clocks in that bed. They're a pretty flower but the plants get huge. I put them in the front yard and hope they do okay.

Mulched:

• butterfly weed
• 4 O'Clocks

Oct. Wk 4, 24th - 30th

Temperature range this week:

• lows: 44 - 64 F
• highs: 67 - 78 F

Rainfall: 2.2 " over 3 days

Planted: nothing this week

Harvested:

• Swiss chard
• zucchini
• turnips
• pumpkin
• tomatoes
• green beans
• sweet peppers

Preserved: 

• froze eggs
• froze sweet peppers

Accomplished:

• Not much in the garden due to 3 days of rain
• Finished organizing pantry
• Finished shelling popcorn
• Still working on black turtle beans
• pulled old zinnia plants from front flower beds
• packed harvested turnips is a cooler with damp sand

Ordered - from Stark Bros. Nursery for fall planting:

• 2 American cranberry bushes
• 1 semi-dwarf crabapple tree
• 1 Stanley European dwarf plum tree
• 3 Heritage red raspberries

Homestead Meal: (all homegrown except cheese)

• mashed potatoes & turnips topped with big blob of homemade (not homegrown) yogurt cheese, steamed Swiss chard, & chunks of fresh tomato. YUM!

Oct. Wk 3, 17th - 23rd

Temperature range:

• lows: 46 - 59° F
• highs: 71 - 77° F

Rainfall: 0.1"

Planted:

• garlic
• China Rose winter radishes
• mild mesclun mix

Harvested:

• zucchini
• Pink Beauty radishes
• Swiss chard
• oregano
• sweet peppers
• state half runner beans
• last black turtle bean plant
• watermelons (last ones)
• baby beets
• baby turnips
• baby carrots
• tomato - 1 ripe Roma

Preserved:

• pickled beets using this recipe

Accomplished:

• thinned beets, turnips, & carrots
• fed tops to goats & chickens (llama wasn't interested)
• applied compost to new beds & broccoli
• started mulching potatoes
• pulled old dill plants, noted lots of new volunteers
• watered zucchini, sweet peppers, cabbages

To Do:

• plant parsnips & more beets?
• finish packing & labeling saved seeds
• finish organizing pantry
• harvest herbs
• clean out front flower beds

Oct. Wk 2, 10th - 16th

Temperature Range:

• lows: 46 - 60
• highs: 70 - 82

Rainfall: sprinkle

Harvested:

• last of black turtle beans
• state 1/2 runner bush beans
• last buttercup squash
• Swiss chard
• zucchini
• sweet pepper
• sweet basil
• dill seed

Preserved:

• froze 4 quarts potato soup
• 13 quarts canned sweet potatoes
• froze 2 doz. eggs
• froze sweet pepper, both green & ripe
• dehydrated bananas (store bought)

Accomplished:

• shelled beans for seed & soup
• finished pulling black turtle bean plants & buttercup squash vines
• watered fall garden
• pulled out blackberry vines & as many weeds going to seed as possible
• husked amaranth & stored in trash cans for chicken feed
• pulled out okra plants
• cleaned out chicken coop & spread litter lower 1/2 of garden

To Do:

• finish goat fencing
• finish organizing 2010 saved seeds
• thin beets
• thin turnips
• thin carrots
• finish harvesting bush bean seeds
• till
• re-pot aloe vera

May 12, 2010

Temperature:
~ low 61 F
~ high 82 F

Planted:
~ black turtle beans
~ buttercup squash
~ Clemson spineless okra (from saved seed)

Harvested:
~ lettuce (fall planted) - 0.4 oz
~ radish - 1 ct, 0.5 oz